Industry News

Jul 18, 2012 NACSOnline A new report found that one in 10 cigarettes sold in the European Union was illegal. BRUSSELS, Belgium – Over the years, Europe has steadily restricted smoking and jacked up cigarette taxes, but that hasn’t stopped contraband cigarettes from surging, the Wall Street Journal reports. A new report by KPMG found that one in 10 cigarettes were sold illegally in the European Union in 2011. Also complicating things are legally made cigarettes, so-called “illicit whites” that are smuggled into the EU from Ukraine and Russia, essentially becoming “duty-free” cigarettes. Illicit white smokes comprise nearly a quarter of all contraband cigarettes, a sharp increase from just 4% in 2007. The uptick of contraband cigarettes impacts tax revenue for the EU’s cash-strapped countries. The report puts the EU’s yearly shortfall from illegal cigarette sales at €11 billion. OLAF (European Anti-Fraud Office) has stepped up its efforts to catch…

Jul 17, 2012 CSNews HAVERSTRAW, N.Y. — The village of Haverstraw, N.Y., will drop a local law that was to ban the display of tobacco products at retail locations, according to a Journal News report. Last night at a special meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a settlement with a group of retailers and manufacturers that filed a lawsuit challenging the ban, which was passed in April 2012 and would have gone into effect this October. The lawsuit claimed the ban violated the First Amendment right to free speech. Under the terms of the settlement, the group of plaintiffs, which includes the New York Association of Convenience Stores (NYACS), Lorillard Tobacco Co., Philip Morris USA Inc., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co., American Snuff Co. LLC, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Brands Inc., and John Middleton Co., agreed to drop the lawsuit if Haverstraw repeals the law. The Board…

Melissa Kress Jul 17, 2012 CSNews ORLANDO, Fla. — Two hundred years after Wawa Inc. began life as a textile manufacturer, the company is making what may be its biggest leap yet — at least, geographically speaking. Less than 24 hours before opening its doors to the public, the Pennsylvania-based retailer today offered an up-close and personal look into its first Florida convenience store. Perfectly situated across the street from Sea World on Central Florida Parkway in the heart of the Orlando tourism market, the store near the intersection of International Drive is just the beginning of Wawa’s journey into Florida. Similar in size to recent “gas station stores” in the company’s portfolio, the open floor plan has been specifically designed for the Florida market — down to the decor. Walking through the front door, it’s immediately apparent that the main focus here is Wawa’s foodservice offerings. Fresh coffee brewed…

July 17, 2012 New York Times Realty Trust, which owns and manages shopping malls, is experimenting with making them Internet-proof. The company concedes that if shoppers can buy something online, they will. So it is trying to fill one of its malls, in Scottsdale, Ariz., with businesses that do more than sell stuff. There are still clothing-only retailers at the mall, Scottsdale Quarter, but more than half of the stores offer dining or some other experience that cannot be easily replicated on the Web. That has Glimcher executives taking some unconventional approaches to finding suitable tenants — like testing out laser salons, getting hairstyling lessons and watching movies in a theater that serves food. Executives in suits descended last year on a prospective tenant in Manhattan, Make Meaning, where they mulled over making ceramics, candles and jewelry as their town cars waited outside. While a Scottsdale shopper can buy clothes…

AAP July 18, 2012 PUBS and clubs in Sydney’s Kings Cross that have been flouting liquor laws could be fined or stripped of their licences following a state government audit. NSW Hospitality Minister George Souris announced the audit in response to the death of Thomas Kelly, 18, who was king hit while walking along the neon-lit grog mecca earlier this month. Auditors began visiting licensed premises in the Cross on Tuesday night to inspect incident registers and cross-check them with CCTV footage from inside the venues. “Whatever miscompliance there may be, there are a range of sanctions,” Mr Souris told reporters. “The Liquor Act itself is powerful enough to undertake whatever sanctions are required and whatever sanctions are necessary as a result of miscompliance.” That includes stripping liquor licences and fines. Mr Souris said it will take at least four days to visit all the venues and additional time for…

Colin Kruger July 18, 2012 The Age Australians are now spending $20 billion a year on the private label products of the major supermarket chains like Coles and Woolworths and this is set to increase another $10 billion over the next five years as cost of living concerns squeeze household budgets. “The recessive economic climate has been a strong driver of private-label growth,” said IBISWorld general manager Karen Dobie. “Households have been reining in spending, paying off debt and increasing savings. This, coupled with an increase in the range of private-label products available, has led many consumers to make the shift to home brands.” The market research firm said Australians are expected to spend $85.9 billion on groceries this year ending June 30, 2013 with $21.6 billion of this being spent on private label products, up from around $10 billion five years ago. This spend is expected to hit $31.8…